Still Waiting

So, a few months ago the interim position I was filling came to a close; leaving me without a job and all the provision that comes with it. At the time I was totally freaking out because I just knew that God would open another door before that one closed. As the final weeks came to a close, I was sure that God was telling me to "stop looking for a job and start looking for Me; the phone will ring". How hard is that???

As a man and the provider for my family that goes against every part of my DNA. Sadly, it took several weeks for me to completely flesh that out. I hit my head on the wall so many times...and carried that burden, which is exhausting.

BUT, I remember the day I finally gave up...I stopped calling all my contacts...stopped looking at all the job postings...and stopped freaking out. It felt like I lost 100 pounds. I didn't know where work would come from. But I didn't care. I couldn't carry it anymore. 3 days later the phone started ringing. And it hasn't stopped ringing. I've travelled to lead worship more in the last 3 months than I have in the last 6 years.

God has continued to put work in front of me. I am, however, still waiting for God to open the door to a full time position somewhere. Still waiting. Only now I'm walking next to Jesus and sharing His yoke...and it' s much lighter.

Since we KNOW that God will take care of His children...worry and anxiety are like paying interest on free money. I'm not paying interest anymore.
I can't wait to have the details of what God's doing so that I can share them with you.

What God's Sayin

So..for the last several days I've been spending a LOT of time praying and asking God for direction and clarity regarding ministry, work, etc. All I've heard for the last week or so is this..."Just keep doing what I put in front of you."

Then, a couple of days ago God impressed on me to give someone something that is very precious, valuable, and usefull to me. I tried to dismiss it by justifying that I need it and if I didn't need it I'd sell it because I really need the money for it. This morning when I started quiet time, I heard God say, "I'm about to provide for you like never before". The sense I had was of great expectation...like the windows of heaven were about to open up. Then God hit me again..."Give it away."

So, God, I hear You. I've confessed to You that everything is Yours anyways...and I surrender this thing...as a symbol of my total surrender to You for Your purpose. And, I surrender our future to You again today. Wherever You lead, I'll go. What You've put in front of me today is not work but a call to obedience. It's Yours. I'm Yours.

Johnny

Preparing for a God encounter

Fair warning: I'm about to blab about my kid again for a minute.

My son, Cooper is now just over 2 1/2 years old. Ever since he could waddle from one room to the next, he has loved to run from one room to the next and have me chase him down and tickle him. Often, I would grab him and plop him down on our big cushy ottoman (if it was clear of plastic trains and cars and other toys) and commence with the tickling...hearing him belly laugh and squeal for what seems like an hour sometimes.

These times are some of the most precious to me. It's just me and Cooper enjoying each other's company. His eyes stay locked on mine the whole time with the biggest smile you could imagine.

Here's the really cool thing: Every so often I'll notice Cooper begin to clear off the ottoman. He very intentionally begins to take each train, car, or other toy and put them in his toybox or somewhere else out of the way. I can see from the back of his head that he's already smiling. And I know what he's doing. But he thinks he's going to surprise me. Sometimes it may even take him 5 or 6 full minutes to get everything off of the ottoman. Then, with great anticipation, Cooper turns around to me with his hands in the air doing "spirit fingers" and starts saying "diggi diggle diggi diggi" in a gruff 'Cookie Monster' type voice. That's his "daddy voice". And I know exactly what he's saying: "Dad...come tickle me".

And If I act like I don't hear him...he'll get closer to me and "diggi diggi" even louder. And as soon as I look him in the eye and act like I'm going to move towards him...he shrieks with laughter and plops himself on the ottoman; just knowing that at any moment I will tickle him.

All I can say is...it's one of the biggest heart warming blessings I experience as a father. It's not just because he likes to be tickled. It's the preparation, intentionality, passion, and anticipation that I see Cooper display that blesses me.

So I pictured myself and God my Father. I thought, "Do I prepare myself for an encounter with God like this?" ..."Am I genuinely excited about the songs I'm about to sing when I'm on my way to worship with the body of Christ?"..."Do I fully expect God to make contact with me"... "Am I that determined for God to hear me and respond?"

What clutter needs to be removed for you to have your God encounter?

When's the last time you eagerly sought God's pleasure...His smile?

Cooper puts every bit of himself into our times together. Are we putting every bit of ourselves into God's hands?

This has been what God has had me chewing on the last couple of days.

Glad to be His,
Johnny

My Family

I just realized that I don't have hardly any pictures of my family on any of my websites. So I found a great picture of my whole family that I thought I should post. There's Suzii (my smokin' hot wife), Cooper (my son), and don't overlook Thomas (our adopted train child).

What more could a guy ask for?